


Nine Lives

by lazilycoolllama



Category: Original Work
Genre: Based on a Tumblr Post, Cats, Implied Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-26 22:34:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17150321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lazilycoolllama/pseuds/lazilycoolllama
Summary: Saw a prompt, got inspired, here we are.





	Nine Lives

Where was her human?

Coco darted from room to room, looking for him. There weren’t many places her human could hide. He was big, towering above her. He couldn’t fit in the little hiding places a cat could. No, her human couldn’t hide for long from her. Especially not in this small building.

They used to live somewhere big. Somewhere with lots of rooms, big windows that shone light into puddles for Coco to curl up in, and many chairs for Coco to sit in. Her human had been happy there. There had been other humans. They all loved him. They made her human laugh. But then her human had moved away. He took Coco with him, and took her to this tiny cold house with tiny windows.

Coco missed the big house, but all she needed was her human.

Right now, though, she couldn’t find her human.

He wasn’t in the kitchen, or his bedroom. The bathroom was empty, and the living room as well. Where was her human? A cold breeze blew over her, and Coco looked up. A window was open. The big one. Coco bounced over to the window, leaping onto the edge and looking out of it at the fire escape.

Alarms from flashing cars blared below. The noise of crowds and music drifted through the frigid air. Snow stuck to everything, giving the whole world sheet of white. As Coco leapt out, landing in the snow, she looked down at her paws. Dark against the white. Lifting a paw, she noticed that it left an imprint. She looked over. Big imprints. Her human and gone this way.

Coco looked up. Her human had gone to the roof. Why was he up there? It was cold. Her human needed to be curling up with her inside, where it was warm and safe. She needed to find her human and get him inside.

She bounded up the stairs, her little paws leading back to the open window.

“… I’m sorry…. I’m sorry… I’m so fucking sorry…”

Coco reached the top of the stairs, looking over to see her human. He was standing at the edge of the building. He wasn’t wearing a jacket. Just shorts and a t-shirt. Her human had to be cold. Why would he be out here in the cold? Bouncing over to her human, she heard him muttering over and over to himself.

Coco looked over the edge of the building. They were high up. So high up. Her human edged closer, his toes hanging over the rim of the building. Coco softly meowed in distress. Was her human going to jump? Her human would be stupid too. He was clumsy. He couldn’t land on his feet like she could. No, no, her human would die if he fell.

Death was no stranger to Coco. As a cat, she had nine lives to live. She remembered them all fondly. Her first had been as a calico in the arms of an elderly woman who loved her until Coco had died of old age. Her second hadn’t even lasted a day; her owners drowning her litter the moment they were born. The third had been better. A black cat owned by an odd woman who owned many bottles and bones. Coco had gotten sick beyond help, and died in the woman’s arms. Her forth was hard, spent on the streets. She had died to a hungry dog. Her fifth she died in a house fire. Her sixth had ended quickly with a hawk finding her litter. Her seventh spent warm, fat, and happy with a rich man in a mansion.

But her eighth was her favorite so far. Her human was so kind. He loved her, and she loved him. He spent time with her, giving her special treats and taking her out to see the world. Her human cuddled with her whenever she wanted, and he never yelled.

Her human was the best human, even if he got sad. Even if he sometimes cried into her fur after she had just cleaned herself. Even if sometimes he forgot to go outside for weeks at a time. Even if he sometimes forgot to take care of her. It was alright. She was a tough cat, she knew how to handle herself. Her human needed her.

Her human needed her now more than ever as he stood at the edge of his own life.

Coco purred, slowly moving closer to him. She twisted between his legs, rubbing against him.

“Wha… Coco what are you doing here?” Her human asked.

Coco continued to purr, trying to push him back. Get away from the edge, silly human. Get back to where it is safe and warm. Get back inside and cuddle me, human.

As she pushed against him, she felt something leave her. It seeped from her fur, through her purr, and into her human. Nothing Coco would miss. She knew that. It was just how things were. Just one less chance at adventure. It didn’t matter to her. Coco would gladly give all her lives to her human. Her human was the best. Her human deserved the adventures.

Her human needed her last life.

“Coco…” her human stumbled back, tears falling from his red eyes. He collapsed back into the snow, staring at her with a shaky smile. “Coco…”

 _It’s okay,_ she tried to portray to him, climbing into his lap and purring against his chest. _It’s okay, silly human. I got you now._

 


End file.
